


13 Times JK Almost Became a Kamen Rider

by AkinoAme



Category: Kamen Rider Fourze, Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider W (Double)
Genre: Cameos, Gen, Humor, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-11
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2017-12-26 07:39:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/963321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkinoAme/pseuds/AkinoAme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even as an adult, JK finds himself caught up in Rider business. Now if only they'd take a hint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ryuga

                JK couldn't believe his luck. Admittedly, the senior journalist he was working under getting food poisoning was terrible, but he'd trusted JK to take over the interview for him. And now, he was walking back to the office (and maybe a quick stop by the hospital to check on his coworker) with a full notepad and recording of the interview.

                He blew imaginary dust off his hat—a gift from W, since Philip had convinced Shotaro that it was good that he was searching for the truth—and placed it on his head, grinning at his reflection in a window.

                "Not bad for a rookie," he said.

                That was when he noticed the deck behind him in his reflection.

                Puzzled, he turned around and picked it up—black, some kind of metal maybe? Cards inside—only reading Sword Vent and Seal, though. Something about it seemed like it should be important to him, so he pulled out his phone and dialed Tomoko.

                _"Hello?"_ she asked.

                "Hey, Tomoko," he said, turning over the deck. "I think I might have found something Rider-related."

                He heard shuffling on the other end—she must have been getting her computer set up. _"What is it?"_

                "It's some kind of card deck," he said. "No markings on it, and there are only two cards in it, though. I don't think it's Decade—maybe something earlier?"

                A pause. _"A deck? No staff or any kind of weapon?"_

                "Not that I see," JK said, shaking his head slightly. There was some kind of ringing in his ears that was getting bad.

                _"Are you around any glass?"_

                "Yeah, I'm in the city," he answered. "Why?"

                _"Drop the deck and run. NOW!"_

                JK didn't hesitate—it wasn't often that Tomoko got loud, and if her scream was loud enough to pierce past the ringing in his ears, he wasn't going to waste time asking questions. He dropped the deck and ran for cover.

                Two things happened in succession. First, the ringing sound in his ears stopped. Second, just as he dove behind a mailbox, a huge black dragon burst out of the window, breathing dark fire that melted a car parked nearby. JK kept behind the mailbox, shaking as the dragon kept searching for him before finally returning to the glass.

                _"JK! JK!"_ Tomoko was still on the other end.

                Still trembling, JK brought the phone back to his ear. "I'm okay."

                _"Did it attack? A Mirror Monster?"_ she checked.

                "Yeah," he said. "But it gave up. It's gone now."

                _"It won't give up,"_ she insisted. _"But you can hold it off."_

                "How?" he asked, his voice cracking in desperation.

                _"Is the deck still there?"_

JK peered out from behind the mailbox again and checked. "Yeah. Right in front of the window."

                _"You said it was Blank, so there should be a Seal Card in there. That'll hold the Monsters off."_

                That meant he'd have to risk going in front of the glass again, and possibly getting attacked by that dragon. He took a breath and ran for the deck, taking the whole thing back to his hiding place.

                "Okay, I've got the card," he said, pulling the Seal Card free. "Now what?"

                _"Destroy the rest of the deck,"_ Tomoko said. _"Those are the same decks that Ryuki used, and from everything I've researched, you don't want to be a Rider like him."_

                JK wasted no time smashing the deck against the sidewalk until it broke, resulting in many people giving him strange looks and a wide berth.

                "Okay, I destroyed it. Does that get rid of the Monster?"

                _"No, they'll keep coming after you. But if you keep that Seal Card on you at all times, they won't be able to attack."_

                JK looked at his new card, feeling the dread settling in. This piece of paper was the only thing between him and a fire-breathing dragon bent on eating him.

                He couldn't believe his luck.


	2. Raia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JK has a case for Philip and Shotaro.

                The incident with the deck had been two weeks ago, but JK had been jumpy ever since. He'd learned to pick out the sounds of the Monsters in the mirror, but with every screeching noise and every headache, he jumped out of his skin. The dragon had apparently gotten bored of him waving the Seal Card at it all the time, but now there were new ones, and JK was doing everything he could to avoid the pink manta ray that had started following him around. He was pulling all-nighters and sleeping lightly so nothing could attack him in the middle of the night. Finally, he knew it had gotten to be more than he could handle on his own, and he headed to Futo.

                What he liked about the Narumi Detective Agency was that it was on a nice, open road with not a whole lot of glass. Still, the sight of a crystal ball from one of the vendors on the street was enough to make him jump.

                "Don't worry," the fortuneteller said calmly when he almost knocked it over. "It's mostly for show."

                JK wasn't quite sure what to say, so he nodded and tried to go on his way, but the fortuneteller frowned and looked at him more closely.

                "You've found something you want to get rid of," he noticed. "But no matter what you try, it keeps coming back to you."

                JK kept walking. Typical fortuneteller bull. Then...

                "You don't have to be something you don't want to! If you take it, you'll have to fight. The deck doesn't choose you—you choose whether or not _you_ want the deck!"

                JK stopped suddenly. He _knew_. But as he started to turn around to find the fortuneteller again, Philip walked right into his line of sight.

                "JK, you're pale and you have circles under your eyes..." he started.

                JK started to push him away, but Philip grabbed his hand and started dragging him along. "Come on. I'm getting you to the agency."

                 In his twenties now, Philip looked decidedly less feminine as he had as a teenager, but he was still slender and pretty and preferred loose, flowing clothes. This made him a perfect counterpart to Shotaro, who was as half-boiled as ever. He was typing up a case report at his desk when they walked in the door and glanced up, only to stare at JK in shock.

                "JK, what happened?"

                JK offered a weak smile as he clutched his hat. "I look that bad?"

                Shotaro got up from his desk. "No man carries his hat in his hand like that if nothing's wrong."

                "I think he has a case for us," Philip explained, and JK nodded with a sigh.

                "I can pay, I swear," he insisted, but Shotaro waved his hand.

                "You're a friend," he argued. "You guys in the Rider Club are as good as Riders yourselves. I'd never take payment from a fellow Rider."

                JK winced. "I really wish you hadn't said that."

                They sat down with some coffee as JK set out the pink deck he'd found that morning and removed its cards.

                "Contract," Shotaro read off, holding it up to examine.

                "And Seal," Philip said, looking at it. "You say this came from a Rider?"

                "It's the second I've found," JK explained, sipping his coffee. "Tomoko says they're the same kind of deck that Ryuki used."

                "Yeah," Shotaro answered. "Except for the color, this is a lot like the one he keeps in his belt. And his has a gold dragon on it—looks kind of like Agito's symbol."

                "Ryuki's been at the big Rider battles," Philip explained, "but we've never been able to find out who he is."

                "Decade probably knows," Shotaro replied. "But he's met so many alternate versions of Riders that it's hard to say if his information would be accurate."

                "That's why I need you guys to find out everything you can about these things for me," JK said. "These things are connected to Monsters in the mirror—I think they're trying to make me use that Contract Card on them."

                "Well, that's our first set of keywords," Shotaro noted.

                Philip nodded and reached for the deck. "May I keep this? Only as long as it takes to research it."

                "Fine, but destroy it when you're done—oh, but keep the Seal Card. That helps keep the Monsters off." When Philip tilted his head in surprise, JK threw up his hands. "I don't know how, but it works."

                "Any idea why they're after you?" Shotaro asked. "Maybe trying to get to Kisaragi and Sakuta through you?"

                "Maybe," JK admitted. "Although, outside, I think I might have run into one of the Riders."

                "You did?" Shotaro asked. "Who?"

                "It was the fortuneteller," he said, jumping up. "I lost track of him, but maybe..."

                The three of them tore out of the agency and rushed to find the fortuneteller's stand. But instead of the strangely insightful man, they only saw a lying old woman sitting in front of the crystal ball, conning a cop friend of Shotaro's out of his money.

                Shotaro sighed. "Got away."

                "But we've got something interesting to work with," Philip reminded him.

                JK was dejected. His first real clue to what was going on had disappeared. But Shotaro clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry. We're going to make sure these things don't hurt you."

                "Although," Philip interrupted, "you'd probably learn more if you formed a Contract with one of those Monsters and became a Rider."

                When he saw the look on JK's face, Shotaro took off his hat and shoved it in his partner's face to shut him up. That was the last thing JK needed.


	3. Ouja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monsters aren't the only things JK has to worry about.

                JK felt a little better after visiting Philip and Shotaro, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. Just because he was getting answers, it didn't mean that the decks and Monsters would stop coming. He'd laminated his Seal Card and attached it to his press pass, keeping it on his person at all times, but he still went out of his way to avoid any and all reflective surfaces—which was easier said than done, since everything seemed to give off a reflection.

                That was why he was cutting through an alley to get home—there were fewer windows around for a Monster to find him.

                And that was why this guy was beating the crap out of him.

                He managed not to cry out until the guy kicked him in the ribs again. Already, he was trying to keep track of the guy's appearance, for a police report or an article: wild blond hair, dog collar around his neck, snakeskin jacket that had gone out of fashion years ago, tight pants, and boots that really hurt when JK got kicked.

                "Just take my money," he wheezed. "Wallet's in my back pocket."

                "What makes you think I want money?" the guy asked, smirking like a crazy man.

                Something far worse than fear hit JK then. This guy didn't want anything. He just wanted to hurt him. To possibly kill him.

                No better than the Monsters.

                The guy picked up a pipe and swung for JK. With fear surpassed, all that was left was a desperate need to survive—JK leapt up and rushed at him, throwing him off-guard and slamming him into the wall, just the way Shun would have. The guy was winded, completely unable to expect that, and JK's will to survive turned into a will to fight, and he punched at him, tears running down his face from the earlier terror. The guy recovered and threw him off, swinging at him with the pipe, but JK grabbed hold and pushed back at him, trying to stop him, hit him, do _something_ that would keep him from killing him.

                A sharp whistle sounded, and the police came running in. The guy dropped the pipe and ran, and several officers took chase. JK fell to his knees as another officer came to try to help him, trying to calm him down—he was shaking, crying, and bleeding.

                There was a purple deck where the guy had been.

                The police would later say that he was still in a panicked state and wasn't thinking clearly, and that was why he'd destroyed the evidence. But JK's mind was completely clear—someone like that could have been a Rider. Someone that crazy, that horrible. He couldn't let it happen, and so he smashed the deck with the pipe.

                He was still shaking when they put him in the back of the patrol car, but it wasn't from fear.

                If he could survive this, the Monsters would be no problem.


	4. Zolda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a sound beating, JK explains everything to Gentaro.

                "As promised, you're still a free man," JK's lawyer said.

                His ribs hurt too much to bow, so he held out a bandaged hand to shake. "Thank you, Mr. Kitaoka."

                "My pleasure," the lawyer replied. " _Real Magazine_ has always been one of my most important clients."

                JK nodded and made a mental note to bring his editor-in-chief some kind of thank you gift for helping get him out of the mess with the crazy mugger.

                He collected his belongings and put his press pass/Seal Card around his neck before walking out the door to see a smiling man with a pompadour.

                "Yo!"

                "Gen?" JK asked, blinking. "How did you know?"

                "I'm your bud!" he answered with a grin. When JK just stared, he added, "And Philip gave me a call. Said you asked him to research something?"

                "I'll talk about it in a bit," JK promised. "Right now, I want to get home."

                "No problem," Gentaro answered. "I'll drive."

                He only winced a bit when he got into the car, but once he was in, he relaxed. Gentaro gave him a worried look for a moment, so he explained, "Most of the time they held me was just for medical reasons. X-ray shows some broken ribs, along with all the cuts and bruises everywhere."

                "Did they catch the guy who did it?" Gentaro asked.

                "Not yet, so we're putting out an alert in the online version of the magazine." Carefully, he adjusted the seat back to lie down. "My editor-in-chief has connections to a few other papers, and they agreed to do the same. No time for rivalry."

                "Yeah," Gentaro agreed. "And he wasn't looking for money?"

                JK made a painful sigh and held up his Seal Card. "I think it has to do with this."

                "Eh?" Gentaro asked, picking it up. "Seal? Wait, is this..."

                "Some kind of Rider card," he answered. "Tomoko told me it belongs to the same group as Ryuki. But there's not a lot of information on those Riders, and they seem more secretive than any of the others, so that's why I asked Philip to look up what he could."

                "Was your attacker a Rider?" Gentaro asked. "Wait, are _you_ a Rider now?"

                "I don't think he was a Rider," JK answered. "Maybe being recruited, but I don't think he was looking for a fight between Riders. And I'm not a Rider. I don't want to be—that kind of thing is for you and Ryusei."

                "Still, would be cool if we could find out who these Riders are," Gentaro mused. "We only got to meet Ryuki once or twice, and that was during huge battles, so we really didn't get a chance to talk, not like with Amazon, W, OOO, or Wizard."

                "All Philip could tell me so far was that they're prone to fighting, so I'm not sure how well we're going to make friends with them."

                "Oh, I'll befriend them. Trust me."

                JK couldn't help but grin. When Gentaro wanted to be your friend, you were better off just saying yes. Otherwise, you'd end up in the hospital in traction with an IV drip and _still_ wind up being his friend.

                "If I find any more decks, I'll save the Seal Cards from them," he promised. "That way, you guys are all safe from the Monsters."

                "Okay," Gentaro answered. "And Ryusei and I'll..."

                The car jolted suddenly, and JK grimaced in pain. Gentaro tried to hit the brakes as carefully as possible and pulled the car over to park, and JK tried to catch his breath.

                "Did we hit something?" he asked.

                "Dunno," Gentaro answered. "I'm gonna check."

                He stepped out of the car and ran over to the road. JK watched after him, but he couldn't see anything that they might have hit—not until Gentaro ran back with broken green bits of _something_ in his hands.

                "I think we ran over this," he said.

                JK relaxed again. "It's just a deck. No Seal Card?"

                Gentaro examined the fragments. "Probably broken with the rest of it."

                "I'll just grab one from the next one, then."

                Gentaro trashed the broken deck and got back in the car. "You really think there's going to be another deck?"

                "That's the fourth one. Somebody would have caught on by now."


	5. Scissors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Kijima, JK really hates crabs.

                JK sighed as he left the police station again. That Sudo guy was useless—was he even trying to catch JK's attacker?

                He was still off work for the rest of the week, so he headed home for lunch. As he started putting together something quick to eat, he switched on his laptop to check his messages. As soon as he was online, Yuuki messaged him for a video chat. He started up the chat and grinned at her—she was floating in place on the space station, and her hair was all around her head.

                "Hi, Yuuki."

                _"JK!"_ she cried. _"I heard what happened—are you okay?"_

                "Yeah," he said. "The worst is the ribs, but I'll be healed up by the time you come home. I'm stuck behind the desk till then, though."

                Yuuki smiled in relief. _"You used to run away from danger all the time—what happened?"_

                "The Kamen Rider Club did, that's what," he answered with a smile.

                A now-familiar ringing sound filled his head, and he got up. "Excuse me for a second."

                He walked into the kitchen, going straight for the fire extinguisher. He followed the sound to the bathroom, where a deck had appeared on the floor and the claw of a crab Monster was beginning to emerge from the Mirror World. He prepped the fire extinguisher, and the moment its head appeared, he sprayed the creature.

                "Oh, no you don't! Kijima was bad enough!"

                The Monster started backing away from the spray, and JK began hitting its arm just before the claw to discourage it from attacking. When it had finally returned to the Mirror World and given him up, he turned to the deck, removed the Seal Card, then sprayed it with the extinguisher to super-cool it before smashing it.

                _"JK!"_ Yuuki was crying as he walked back out, coughing from the CO 2. He opened a window before sitting back down at his computer.

                "Sorry," he said. "Need to air the place out a bit."

                _"What just happened?"_

                "Rider stuff. Don't worry—I've got it under control."


	6. Femme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Miu says you're having lunch with her and Shun, you don't say no.

                Eighteen worried phone calls, two notebooks full of information from Philip, and a week into his recovery, JK had been told in no certain terms that he was having dinner with Miu and Shun and that was that.

                Their okonomiyaki was sizzling as he explained everything first about the attack, then about the decks. When he showed off the latest infodump from Philip—not a whole lot; it mostly amounted to a gold deck and "when you see gold feathers, punch behind you"—Miu said, "You should have told us earlier."

                "I could have helped," Shun insisted. "If these things are coming after you, I can help with Power Dizer."

                "I know," JK admitted, poking at his food. "But it's harder than when we were kids. We're all spread out now."

                "But even if we can't be there physically, you can always turn to us for help," Miu argued. "That's what the Kamen Rider Club is all about."

                JK was silent for a minute. He knew they were right. Tomoko had said once that up to a certain point, a lot of the Riders were very solitary creatures—to the point that some of the others Gen and Ryusei had met were shocked to hear how easily they'd formed friendships with newer Riders.

                "Guess this whole thing has me thinking like the old school Riders," he admitted at last, and both Miu and Shun snickered.

                "Excuse me," a woman said, bumping into Shun as she got up.

                "Oh, sorry," he replied, getting up so she could get out easier.

                "Thank you," she answered before leaving.

                Something seemed a little off to JK, and he stared after her in confusion.

                "She didn't even recognize you," he noticed. "Either one of you."

                "That happens, sometimes," Miu admitted. "Shun's still a rookie on his team, and sometimes the adjustments to my photos end up changing my appearance drastically."

                The woman was leaving awfully fast, and JK started to get to his feet, saying, "I don't think..."

                But the screeching sound of something emerging from the Mirror World cut him off. He looked around suddenly, as Miu and Shun started to rise.

                "Is something coming?" Miu checked.

                "Yeah," he answered.

                Shun squared his shoulders, ready to tackle something if it came for them. "Where from?"

                JK was getting better about pinpointing the location of Mirror World emergences, and he could tell that it couldn't be from anything to their side, but it still sounded close. Suddenly, he remembered that the restaurant had a skylight, and he looked up.

                Once he did, so did Shun and Miu. They didn't see the swan Monster flying overhead, but they _did_ see the white deck it dropped—right onto JK's half-cooked okonomiyaki, splattering it all over their clothes.

                "Miu!" Shun cried as she started brushing the mixture off herself.

                JK had already rushed to get the deck, moving quickly and carefully to pull out the Seal Card to safety before dropping the deck on the grill and shaking his burned fingers.

                The wait staff was bringing over napkins, trying to help them clean up, and Miu gracefully insisted, "We're fine, thank you. Can we please have the check?"

                "JK?" Shun asked as he saw the batter-covered deck frying on the grill.

                "I got the card," JK insisted, flipping over the deck so it would burn on the other side too.

                "I'm starting to see why you didn't ask us for help," Miu said, blotting a stain on her blouse. When Shun tried to help, she insisted, "I'll be fine. I'll call in a favor to one of our friends." Shun nodded, knowing the veiled reference to another Rider; Faiz and his friends ran a dry cleaning shop, and it could certainly use the publicity of a famous model using its services.

                The manager came over with the check and a whole 'nother slew of apologies, but Shun flashed his winning grin and saluted them, insisting it was okay. At least until he reached for his wallet and realized it was missing.

                "What?" he asked. "What happened to my wallet?"

                While Shun got frantic, Miu looked at JK. "That woman you thought seemed suspicious..."

                JK shook his head. "She's got to be long gone by now." It was odd—that was the third time in a row now he'd encountered somebody and they'd practically disappeared, and it always preceded a deck.

                He sighed and rose to his feet, getting his own wallet as the deck burned with his food. "I'll pay. This is all my fault anyway."

                "Don't even," Miu argued, giving him the same tough look she'd always given them back in their days in the KRC. "Someone's trying to ruin your life, and they're not getting away with it, understand?" He had to stifle a laugh—Miu would probably be able to make Ryuki himself cower in fear. She took her credit card out of her purse and handed it to the manager. "I'll take care of this."

                As the manager left, she noted, "There will probably be a large discount anyway because of all the problems we had."

                Shun nodded glumly. "At least the deck is destroyed."

                JK checked the grill—the white deck had turned golden brown and had quite a few cracks in it. One quick jab with the spatula finished it off.

                "Killed the last one with ice, killed this one with fire," he noticed.

                "Can I have that card?" Miu asked.

                "Of course," he answered, handing it over. "I'm trying to get one for everybody—if these things are going to keep appearing, I might as well make sure my friends are protected."

                "At least from some things," Miu said with a smirk. She handed the card to Shun. "Try not to lose it."


	7. Odin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Philip's insane warnings were for a good reason.

                It had been another week since the last deck, but JK wasn't about to think he was safe. Philip's warnings about a gold deck were becoming more and more frequent, to the point that his inbox at work was full of his ramblings—JK proceeded to call Akiko and ask her to take away his computer privileges.

                It waited until he had made it to the break room and gotten his coffee before it dropped into the sink. Out of habit, he was about to reach down and pull out the Seal Card before he noticed the phoenix emblem—none of the others had come pre-Contracted.

                He rushed back to his desk and grabbed his notebooks. On the first page of Philip's ramblings was a warning in huge black letters and underlined:

** DO NOT PICK IT UP **

                JK pulled out his phone and immediately dialed Philip.

                _"Did it show up?"_ he asked. _"Odin?"_

                "If by 'Odin,' you mean 'gold deck with a bird on it,' yes."

                Philip sighed in relief. _"So you didn't touch it. Good."_

                "What'll this thing do?" JK asked.

                _"All of my research into Odin says that its power possesses the user. So I think it's a good idea not to touch it with your bare hands."_

                JK grabbed a potholder to pick it up. "It's already got a Contract. Will there be a Seal Card?"

                _"I don't think so. But you do need to get a card out anyway—Time Vent."_

                "What?"

                _"It's Odin's greatest power, time travel. I'm wary about it even existing, but things go bad frequently enough that it might be a good thing to keep around."_

JK hurried out of the break room and looked to one of his coworkers. "Do you have any tweezers?" When she handed them over, he shot off a quick "Thanks," before rushing back.

                He held down the deck with the potholder and used the tweezers to pluck the Time Vent card. It took some trying, but he finally pulled it out...and started hyperventilating.

                _"JK, are you still there?"_ Philip asked in alarm.

                JK clutched his ribs, holding the card in one hand and pressing the phone against his ear with the other. "Oh god. Oh god ohgod ohgodohgod...."

                _"JK!"_

                "I'VE GOT THE TIME TRAVEL CARD WHAT DO I DO?"

_"Keep it with your Seal Card for now,"_ he advised. _"Destroy the rest of the deck."_

                "Right, right," JK said, trying to catch his breath and stop his ribs from aching. He started to walk over to the microwave, but as soon as he got close, the editor-in-chief walked in.

                "JK!" he cried out in shock. "I heard you screaming—are you all right?"

                He gave JK a critical look-over, especially at the notebooks and the strange item wrapped up in a potholder, but JK insisted, "I'm fine."

                His boss didn't seem too convinced and asked, "Do you need to go home?"

                JK nodded. "I think so. I, um, I had some trouble breathing, and now my ribs..."

                The Chief nodded back. "Okay. Feel better."

                JK headed back over to his desk, dropping off the tweezers on the way. He stuffed the deck in his hat and tucked everything under his arm as he headed out. Philip tried to call back a couple of times, but he texted that he was fine and trying to destroy the deck. He had another, more pressing call to make.

                The first stop was a convenience store, where he bought a box of plastic bags and proceeded to bag the deck with all of them, providing plenty of insulation.

                The next stop was the space research center, where Kengo immediately ran over to meet him.

                "You okay?" he checked. "You sounded terrible on the phone."

                "I'm good now," JK insisted. "You know about all the decks, right?"

                "At this rate, who doesn't?" Kengo answered, walking him down toward the probe. "What do you need me for? I don't have any of my Core Child powers anymore."

                "I know," JK replied. "But you've got something a lot more powerful than a microwave."

                Kengo swiped his pass and gave him access. "It's not due to launch for another few weeks, and even then, it'll take months to a year before it'll reach the sun."

                "That's still the only way I'm sure it'll be destroyed," JK admitted, and Kengo sighed. "Is there any way to put something on it to propel it?"

                "It won't be hard," Kengo admitted. "I'll add some sensors on it so we can track it with the Radar Switch."

                "Thanks," JK replied, placing the deck inside the probe.

                "This is the seventh deck, right?" When JK nodded, he added, "What are you going to do about the other six?"

                JK hesitated. That was a very good question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realize now, after I've written the whole fic, that I might have created a problem down the line for JK in that Odin's not the only phoenix in the sun. And it's too late to fix it. Oh well, guess I'll need to write a sequel at some point!


	8. Verde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji might know something that can help.

                JK was bored out of his mind. As a treat for filling in for him during the interview when he'd gotten food poisoning, his coworker had invited him to the fundraising event he was covering at the Takamizawa Group. But everyone could tell he was the lowest rung on the ladder, and nobody was talking to him—he was pretty sure that the CEO had even decided to step on his foot just to piss him off.

                "JK?"

                He turned in surprise—there was someone he hadn't recognized at first. It was Eiji, dressed in an expensive suit with his hair slicked back. And looking just as uncomfortable as JK felt.

                "What are you doing here?" Eiji asked.

                "Tagging along for a story," he answered. "What about you—I don't think I've ever seen you in a suit."

                "Oh, Takamizawa is a friend of my father's," Eiji explained in the odd, clipped tone he always used when bringing up most of his relatives. "Kougami needs to make a deal with him, so because of my family connections, I volunteered to help." JK nodded. "But I'm glad you're here. Gentaro said that you were having problems with another Rider?"

                JK sighed. "Who didn't he tell?"

                Eiji grinned. "He wanted to help. And I might know something you can use."

                "You do?"

                Eiji nodded. "Come on. Let's find somewhere a little more private."

                They headed out to the courtyard, where JK immediately looked around for windows. Seeing his behavior, Eiji asked, "You're that suspicious of an attack?"

                "It's happening all the time now," he sighed. "I can't go past any glass without thinking a Monster is after me."

                "How many have you found so far?"

                "Seven. From the sound of it, there's six left." He sat down on the edge of a fountain heavily.

                "Well..." Eiji started. "I'm not sure how much I can help, but there's something you should know." When JK looked at him, he continued, "Six years ago, there was an incident—Ankh and I ended up running into Den-O during a battle, and we all traveled back in time, accidentally allowing Shocker to take over the world."

                "Shocker?" JK repeated, stunned. "They fought the original Riders, right?"

                "Yes, and thanks to us, the Riders were defeated and brainwashed—or so we thought. As it turned out, they had to wait forty years for Shocker to gather all of the other villains together and for Den-O and I to be fighting so that they could make their move. But as a consequence, none of the other Riders were ever created or born."

                JK couldn't speak for a moment, too shocked and confused over the revelation. Finally, he asked, "But you fixed it, right?"

                "Yes, but we created a meta-crisis," Eiji explained.

                "...A what?"

                "Look at it this way: Kotaro—Den-O—and I were protected because we'd traveled on DenLiner and weren't affected by the changes in time. But everybody else was. Owner said that because there were always some people who remembered the other Riders—Kotaro and me, for example—they couldn't die. Whether they never became Riders or were never even born, they just existed suddenly."

                "A paradox," JK breathed, fingering the edges of his Time Vent card.

                "Exactly, and it wasn't the only one," Eiji replied. "I did some research afterwards—in 1971, the Riders were attacked by a Shocker monster that was created by Destron two years later."

                "So someone's memories were wrong?" JK guessed.

                "Possibly," Eiji said. "I started worrying about the other Riders we saw, and sure enough, a lot of them were dead."

                "What?"

                Eiji nodded. "There were also some who were monsters working for Shocker. So things didn't go back perfectly."

                JK leapt to his feet. "What about Ryuki?"

                "That's the thing—he was supposed to show up between Agito and Faiz, but according to history, nothing happened between those years. At first, I thought it might have been a secret and nobody was supposed to know, but apparently there was another huge time crisis that erased them from existence. They never became Riders—until we ruined the timeline and gave them back their powers and alternate memories."

                JK's head was spinning. Time travel. Implanted memories. Restored powers.

                "What does this have to do with me? What do they want?"

                Eiji hesitated. "Unfortunately, that I don't know. But what I do know is that the battle against Shocker is the first time all thirteen of them have fought on the same side. Usually, they're fighting each other. So it's probably a very good thing that you never took one of the decks."

                JK started to nod, but the sound of a Monster coming for him put him on-guard. Spotting the telltale signs, Eiji quickly strapped on the OOO Driver and readied himself for attack.

                "The fountain," JK hissed.

                "Is it still there?" Eiji asked.

                "I think..." The sound was gone. "I think it's here."

                There was a tense calm before Eiji asked, "Where?"

                The next thing JK knew, he was thrown to the ground. He tried to get up, but something was dragging him off.

                "It's invisible!" he shouted.

                "Don't worry, JK!" Eiji insisted, inserting Medals into his Driver. "I've got just the thing—henshin!"

                [TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA-TO-BA, TATOBA, TA-TO-BA!]

                JK was still struggling to get free when Eiji dashed in, TaToBa's eyes glowing red. He leapt over JK's body and slashed at the unseen Monster with his tiger claws, causing it to drop a blank deck.

                "I hate these things," JK growled, reaching for the deck and pulling out the Seal Card. "Where's the Monster?"

                "I've still got it!" Eiji said, grappling with something. Every so often, it flickered into the visible spectrum, revealing itself as a chameleon.

                "This is what you want, right?" JK shouted, holding up the deck.

                The Monster swatted Eiji aside and stuck its tongue out at JK, tying him up. JK struggled to keep at least one arm free, and the Monster kept pulling him closer. But Eiji had recovered and leapt into the air.

                [SCANNING CHARGE]

                JK knew this was his cue, and he tossed the deck at the Monster as Eiji let out a loud "Seiya!" and Rider Kicked it. The blast sent him flying back, and Eiji ran for him.

                "JK!" he cried.

                A quick recovery thanks to dance skills, and JK landed gracefully, though certainly not painlessly. He groaned at the pain in his still-recovering ribs as Eiji ran over to him, reverting forms.

                "Is the deck gone?" he asked.

                "Yeah," Eiji replied. "The Monster too."

                "Good," JK groaned. "I'm done with this party."

                Eiji snickered, and JK hit him, passing along the Seal Card.

                "Not funny."


	9. Tiger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JK tries to convince Miu and Tomoko he doesn't have a problem with the latest deck. But it might not be the only deck he has to worry about...

                After the Monster attack at the Takamizawa Group function, Miu had gotten into one of her protective moods—or one of her "I'm the Chairman of the Kamen Rider Club and you're going to do what I say" moods, which was basically the same thing. She and Tomoko had decided to follow him to the grocery store while he complained all the way.

                "It's been days since the attack," he insisted. "And I already went through this whole thing with Eiji—I'm fine."

                "Then what's this?" Miu asked, holding up the ibuprofen he'd put in his cart.

                He rolled his eyes and took the pills from her, setting them on the counter. "I needed that anyway—the doctor said to take that for pain and swelling. And headaches from well-meaning friends."

                As he and Miu traded stares, Tomoko finished paying for her own groceries.

                "I don't mind," she said. "I was out of natto anyway. I go through it a lot more when Ryusei's not here."

                That statement was enough to distract them, and JK asked, "You didn't hear from him?"

                "No," she answered, but her tone was light enough. "With work, he really has to be careful about his calls. Gentaro's probably the only one he can get through to without trouble."

                They nodded, knowing her coded explanation. With Ryusei's job in Interpol, he was difficult to contact because he crisscrossed the globe so frequently and in secret. Gentaro had contacted him through the Astro Switches to let him know about what had happened to JK, and while he'd expressed his worry and sympathy, they really hadn't heard anything from him since.

                Not one to be distracted from the main issue for long, Miu asked, "So what are you going to do about the remaining decks? Are you really going to ask Den-O to take care of it?"

                There was a very quiet man just behind them who seemed to finally be losing his patience.

                "You're taking too long," he said, not looking up at them—he kept his eyes on his literature on heroes.

                "Sorry," JK replied, hurrying his groceries through.

                This time, Miu helped him, not wanting to make things worse. Although, she did stop when JK placed a package of sushi down next to the fresh fish he'd picked up.

                "Why do you need both?" she whispered as the cashier rang it up.

                JK sneaked a glance at the man with the book. He wasn't showing much on his face, but it was clear he was aggravated. So he quickly grabbed his bags and explained to Miu, "It's for the cat."

                Miu was willing to wait while he paid for his groceries, but on the way out, she asked, "What cat—you don't have one."

                JK sighed and reached into his pocket, producing a blue deck. Tomoko gasped and Miu breathed, "Don't tell me you..."

                "Of course not!" he said, walking out. "I got the Seal Card and everything, but the Monster almost attacked someone. I'm feeding it before I destroy the deck. Not taking any chances."

                "That may be a good idea," Tomoko agreed. "But if it gets used to you feeding it, it won't go away."

                "That's why it's getting cheap fish stuffed with whatever tigers don't seem to like," JK said. But the familiar sound hit him, and he groaned. "Looks like kitty's not waiting for me to get home first. I'll catch up with you guys later. Need to give one of you the card."

                "Okay," Miu finally relented. "But if you have any trouble, we're coming. Understand?"

                "Yeah," he answered, turning down a side street. Once he was sure no one was around to watch, he pulled out the fish and waited for the tiger Monster to appear.

                "Here, kitty, kitty," he said, holding out the fish.

                The Monster appeared, but it didn't take the bait. JK shrugged and sat down to eat his sushi.

                "Best you're going to get, sorry," he said, taking a bite. The tiger growled, and he glared. "Don't even try. I'm not letting you attack someone, and I'm certainly not forming a contract with you to fight other Monsters or Riders."

                The Monster seemed to understand him, and it reached a claw out and took the fish.

                "There," JK said, covering up his own lunch. "Next time, it's frozen fish sticks, got it?"

                He started back on the main road again, but ahead of him, Miu and Tomoko stopped in shock as a grey ripple of air appeared in front of them.

                "Decade," Tomoko breathed in shock.

                "Let's not take any chances," Miu warned, slipping into a defensive stance. While Tomoko was even less of a fighter, she did the same.

                But instead of a passing-through Kamen Rider or even a passing-through Dai-Shocker agent, a bright blue deck appeared on the ground in front of them. Tomoko quickly pulled out her iPad and ran a search.

                "We've seen Ryuga, Raia, Ouja, Zolda, Scissors, Femme, Odin, and Verde so far. It looks like JK's latest is Tiger."

                "What about the remaining ones?" Miu asked, retrieving the Seal Card.

                "Ryuki, Knight, Imperer, and Gai," she said. "None of them have this color."

                "Then I'm taking care of this before he finds it," Miu decided, stomping on the deck a few times. Eventually, her heels did it in, and she picked up the fragments and put them in her purse. "We don't need him to start worrying about Riders from other worlds too." Tomoko nodded.

                It was just in time too, since JK had finally caught up to them, sighing, "I can't wait until I can destroy this deck." But he saw the Seal Card in Miu's hand and asked, "Wait, did Shun give that back to you?"

                "No, we got a spare," she lied.

                "It looks like Decade wanted to help out," Tomoko added.

                "Really?" JK asked. "Don't think he can take the very hungry tiger off my hands, can he?"

                "I'll figure out a way to make him," Miu promised.

                JK raised his eyebrow in surprise, and Tomoko tried to hide her smile. Clearly, he'd missed something, and to be honest? He didn't think he wanted to know.


	10. Gai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owner has answers for JK, and Gen has a way to get them to DenLiner.

                When Gentaro had told him to meet up at Amanogawa after school, JK didn't expect to be sent flying as a student darted through the gates. Gentaro had been chasing after the kid and the moment he saw JK thrown in the air, he made a running leap to catch him...which really just turned into JK landing on Gentaro while a passing businessman laughed hysterically.

                "Yeah, yeah," JK grumbled as both he and Gentaro got up.

                "Sorry about that," Gentaro said. "Saburo's powers are tough to deal with."

                "Isn't he that kid you've been having trouble with?" JK checked.

                "Yeah, but I'll get through to him." He stood up and stretched. "Nothing else broken?"

                "Better than I've been," JK admitted. Somehow, despite all of the trouble he'd gone through over the past few weeks, he'd managed not to break his ribs again, and they were actually beginning to heal. "You said you had a way to find Den-O?"

                "Yep, but first we've got to head to the cafeteria," he answered with a grin.

                JK knew better than to ask, so he followed Gentaro to the cafeteria, where the staff had saved him four pudding cups. Gentaro looked back at him and grinned.

                "I bet this looks crazy," he said.

                JK shook his head. "I trust you on this. You're the Kamen Rider, after all."

                "Okay," Gentaro answered, looking at his watch and closing the door. "Time's almost lined up. And...three, two, one..."

                The door suddenly opened, and a red Imagin poked his head out.

                "I knew I smelled pudding!" he declared.

                "Oi, Momotaros!" Gentaro greeted.

                "Gentaro!" Momotaros cried excitedly, giving him the Kamen Rider Club handshake before reaching for the pudding. "You brought pudding!"

                "Yep, enough for all of you guys," he said. "Mind if we talk to Owner for a bit? My buddy's got a problem."

                "Sure," Momotaros answered, digging into the pudding. "C'mon."

                Gentaro looked over at JK with another grin, and JK just shook his head with a laugh. Only Gentaro could take this whole thing in total stride.

                "Yo, Owner!" Gentaro greeted as they boarded the time train. "This is my bud, JK. He could use your help."

                "Hi," JK answered, a little awkwardly.

                He felt a little more uncomfortable when Owner fixed him with a stare. It wasn't quite as bad as Mr. Ohsugi's, and certainly not as terrifying as Principal Satake's, but JK felt like he was back in high school again all the same.

                "What's wrong?" he finally asked.

                "Normally, I do not permit anyone to board DenLiner without a ticket," Owner explained. JK started to look toward Gentaro for help, but Owner smiled and said, "But any friend of Gentaro's is a friend of ours."

                Relieved, JK broke into a smile. "You've really got some connections here, Gen."

                Once everyone had gotten some coffee and settled down, Gentaro explained everything to Owner, with JK throwing in the occasional correction here or there. While things were chaotic on DenLiner, particularly with Ryutaros trying to steal Momotaros's pudding and the fights that went on because of it, JK found it surprisingly easy to relax. No Monsters were trying to come through, no decks randomly appeared—he had a feeling Owner's very will was blocking everything. And it was nice.

                "Basically, we need to know more about Ryuki's group," he said. "Especially after this whole Rider Meta-Crisis Eiji talked about."

                "I see," Owner replied gravely, leaning on his cane. "I had hoped that this would never come up again. Sakurai worked hard to ensure the temporal crises created by his predecessor Riders were mended."

                "Sakurai?" JK repeated.

                "That's, um..." Gentaro snapped his fingers for a moment, trying to remember. "Zeronos?"

                Owner smiled. "The first, before the Sakurai Yuto you're thinking of."

                Gentaro grinned. "Got it right!"

                "So what happened to Ryuki?" JK asked. "Why did Zeronos need to fix things?"

                "Do you still have Time Vent?" Owner asked.

                Everything came to a sudden stop. The Imagin froze, ignoring their argument and turning to stare. Everything was silent, and JK felt a sudden chill as he reached for the card in his press pass. It was warm, however—it was _always_ warm, like the phoenix Monster the Odin deck had been contracted to. JK tried to hand it over to Owner, but he wouldn't take it. He only watched it closely.

                "It may be safer in your hands than anyone else's," he said. "You may be the least likely to try to use it."

                "Whatever happened to Ryuki had something to do with this card, didn't it?" Gentaro asked.

                "Yes," Owner answered. "The man who created the decks set up a battle—a Rider War—to grant a single wish. But to ensure the odds were in his favor, he used Time Vent to manipulate the outcome."

                "He traveled back in time?" JK asked, incredulous. It didn't make much sense to him, but then the implications hit him, and he asked, "Or did he..."

                Owner nodded. "He reset time. Over and over, and eventually, the stress caused the boundaries between the real world and the Mirror World to weaken."

                The Mirror World—that had to be that space behind the mirror where the Monsters came from. Fighting off another chill, JK asked, "What happened, then? How did Ryuki win?"

                "He didn't," Owner replied, and Gentaro gasped in shock. "Time was reset once more. He, and the other Riders, never gained their powers."

                "And the Meta-Crisis brought back their powers," JK realized. "And their memories?"

                "Precisely," Owner answered.

                Gentaro winced. "I might've improved a lot since high school, but I still don't get what you're talking about..."

                "Memories create time," Owner explained. "It doesn't matter if time has changed—what is remembered will remain. That is why the Imagin seek to destroy time—if they can rid the timeline of those who remember the actual events, then things will change in their favor."

                "So that's what Den-O's for, right?" Gentaro asked. "He's a...what do you call them?"

                "Singular point," Owner replied. "Their memories do not change, and they stand the best chance at restoring the timeline."

                "And if you have enough people who remember something..." JK realized.

                "Then it's going to work just as well!" Gentaro realized. "Right?"

                Owner smiled again. "Correct."

                "So there was somebody, either outside of time or a singular point, or just enough people, who remembered Ryuki and the others," JK said. "And when Eiji and Den-O fought in the ruined timeline, their memories restored them."

                "Along with other Riders, yes," Owner replied. "There will always be someone who remembers the Riders. So the Riders will never die."

                "I think I get it?" Gentaro said.

                "I get it enough," JK said. "It's like when Kengo brought you back that time. But if your memories could bring back Eiji."

                Gentaro's eyes widened as he finally caught on. "And then Eiji remembers Shotaro and Philip, and Philip can look everyone up, and they both know Decade, and he knows everybody..."

                "Now you understand," Owner said. "Ryuki was restored first. And from him, everyone else. He could not forget the bonds he'd created with the other Riders—both those of friendship and those he considered his enemies."

                "But what about them?" Gentaro asked. When JK looked at him, he pointed out, "They weren't like me—I chose to become a Rider. They got pulled in after getting to live a normal life. Didn't they want to go back to a normal life?"

                "That is something I think JK will have to ask himself," Owner replied.

                DenLiner doubled back around and stopped off outside Amanogawa, just for them. JK stepped off, quiet.

                "Oi, JK," Gentaro called out after him. "You okay?"

                He wasn't sure what to say. He had new thoughts he hadn't considered before. He wasn't sure if he should still be angry or if he should feel more sympathy for the Riders—who must have felt the same way he did.

                But before he could collect his thoughts, he sensed another Monster, and he sighed.

                "Another one?" Gentaro asked, reaching for the Fourze Driver.

                A rhino Monster emerged from one of the school windows, but it didn't get much of a chance to do anything. DenLiner ran right into it as it started to return to the sands of time, knocking it back into the Mirror World.

                "I'll have to thank Owner the next time I see him," JK said as he retrieved the deck.

                "Yeah," Gentaro admitted, a little disappointed. As JK handed him the Seal Card and gave him a confused look, Gentaro rubbed his head. "I kinda hoped I could take care of this one."

                JK grinned. "There's still the deck."

                Barely a minute later, Amanogawa High School was treated to the sight of the first year Class A teacher destroying a small deck with a huge explosion and a scream of "Rider Rocket Drill Kick!"


	11. Imperer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Space Kamen Rider Club vs. a herd of Mirror Monsters. The Monsters never stood a chance.

                Weeks passed.

                Things settled down, then got insane again, but at least in a way that JK could deal with. When no decks appeared for a little while, the rest of the club went back to their normal lives, willing to leave him alone for a while. Miu focused on her modeling. Shun got traded to another team. Tomoko went on a book tour. Kengo continued his research on Cosmic Energy and his quest for Earth to meet the Presenter. Yuuki prepared to return to Earth. Gentaro struggled with the difficult students in his class.

                And that was what had kicked everything off. It was when that Saburo kid's psychic powers evolved to the point where he could transform into a monster, and Ryusei returned from his case overseas to help Gentaro out. JK was getting an interview with Sano Mitsuru, a CEO with a rags-to-riches story _Real_ had never seen before, but one of his informants managed to take some pictures, and he took care to encode the files so nobody else could see. Gentaro came to him soon after, as he and Ryusei worked fast to put the band back together. Saburo was caught up in a worldwide crime empire brewing, that planned on brainwashing young psychics and using their powers to take over the world. Ryusei had gotten that much, and JK's own research got them a little farther. Yuuki was in danger from their plans, and the rest of the club banded together to save her and the world.

                And all was well as ended well. Yuuki's reentry capsule was destroyed, but Nadeshiko returned and saved her. Gentaro opened his students' eyes and showed Saburo how much he was welcome by destroying the Fourze Driver to prove that the world now needed Saburo to become a hero.

                An evil demon opened a portal to another time, and Gentaro, Ryusei, and Nadeshiko ran into it.

                "Same as always," Miu said once they recovered from the shock of their friends rushing headfirst into danger.

                "At least they've got a clue where to go," Kengo said, having thrown a Tsunugget into the portal.

                "Will they be okay?" asked Miyoppe.

                The adult members of the Space Kamen Rider Club looked at each other and grinned.

                "You kids have a lot to learn," JK said with a laugh.

                Saburo and Miyoppe looked a little confused, but they joined in as the others laughed and walked away from the burning wreckage of...well, everything. Wherever Fourze was concerned, everything blew up.

                But once they started heading back to the abandoned warehouse Banba had set everything up in, JK sensed it.

                "Here we go again," he said.

                "What?" Saburo asked.

                "This is the first one in a while," Shun pointed out.

                "Three left," JK said.

                "What's going on?" Miyoppe asked.

                "Mirror Monster," Miu answered, as if that should have explained everything.

                When it didn't, Yuuki explained, "JK can sense creatures from the Mirror World—they fought another Kamen Rider in the past."

                "Why can't I sense anything?" Saburo asked.

                "We've wondered the same thing," Tomoko admitted, as they all held up their Seal Cards. "We've all got these, and that should let us sense the Monsters. But JK's the only one who can."

                "Because I'm the one they're after," JK answered simply. "They all want me to Contract with them."

                Everyone went on-guard right away, with Tomoko taking Miyoppe's hand in case they needed to run, and the others getting into a defensive position, weapons aimed at the windows. Saburo looked about ready to transform, but Kengo put a hand on his shoulder.

                "Don't," he advised. "Just stick to your powers."

                JK couldn't hide a smile. "We're out of clothes for you."

                The young Neo-Human blushed and nodded, instead holding out a hand to use his telekinesis. And then, as if they were waiting for him to be ready, the Monsters emerged—a whole herd of gazelle-like beasts that mobbed them all at once. While they shot and threw some out of the way with telekinesis, the Monsters kept coming closer, forcing them to fight hand-to-hand.

                "There's too many for the Seal Cards to work," Tomoko pointed out, trying and failing to hold off some of the Monsters with her card.

                "If I can get over to Power Dizer, this'll be a lot easier," Shun said, slamming two gazelles' heads together.

                "Maybe I can draw them off," JK suggested.

                But Miu grabbed him by the back of his jacket. "No self-sacrifice. You're not a Rider, remember?"

                As JK grinned in relief, Miyoppe looked to Saburo and asked, "Do you think you can bring it closer? With your powers?"

                Saburo hesitated, but Yuuki had already made her decision. She shot away another gazelle and warned, "Okay, everyone! Protect Saburo so he can concentrate!"

                "I don't think I can..." he protested.

                "You can," Kengo insisted, and the rest of the club gave him looks of encouragement.

                Finally, Saburo nodded, and they gathered in a circle around the new kids. The women had taken the weapons while the men used their fists and feet. Shun was going to town on the gazelles while Miu expertly sniped them. Tomoko stuck close to Yuuki, who was better with the blaster than she was. JK found himself fighting next to Kengo, the both of them keeping up with the stampede.

                "Who'd have thought we'd be the ones fighting hand-to-hand?" Kengo quipped.

                "Yeah," JK agreed. "The coward and the King of the Infirmary."

                "The two guys who never should be allowed to be Riders," he agreed.

                JK gave him a fist-bump of gratitude as they continued fighting. Power Dizer was being dragged closer and closer, and Saburo was panting from the effort.

                "He can't keep it up," Miyoppe warned. "You've got to run for it!"

                Shun started for it, but the gazelles herded around him, keeping him from getting away.

                "No use!" he yelled. "They'll all get to you if I try!"

                And as if that was their cue, Gentaro, Nadeshiko, and Ryusei emerged through another time portal. Nadeshiko didn't waste any time, charging right into the heart of the mess, with Gentaro a few steps behind her. Ryusei came over toward Kengo and JK, blasting Saturn rings at the gazelles around them.

                "Thanks," Kengo replied.

                "No problem," Ryusei answered. "So these are the Monsters?"

                "Yeah," JK said. "They're a real pain."

                "I'll bet," Ryusei agreed, punching another.

                The reunited team tore into the gazelles, taking no prisoners. Gentaro took Shun's place in the circle, keeping Miyoppe and Saburo safe while Shun made a run for Power Dizer. Nadeshiko easily cleared the way, gleefully destroying Monsters left and right. Without having to worry as much about Shun, Miu was able to join Yuuki and Tomoko, providing cover fire as Ryusei, JK, and Kengo fought in the throng.

                "Watch out, guys!" Shun declared, barreling through with Power Dizer.

                "Everyone, this way!" Miu ordered, moving the non-Riders out of the way.

                Gentaro stuck close to his students, but he looked over at JK and cried, "Now's your chance—find the deck!"

                "Don't have to tell me twice!" JK agreed. "You guys all block with your Seal Cards!"

                With fewer gazelles around them, the others were able to keep safe with the Seal Cards, and the same held true for JK as he ran past everything getting blown up by Shun, Ryusei, and Nadeshiko. They weren't able to overwhelm him as easily as before, and as they tried to back away from him, they were caught by one of the powerhouses.

                JK found the deck at last and scooped it up, and as he pulled out the Seal Card, the gazelles finally caught on it was time to run. A few managed to get back to the glass and dive into the Mirror World, but Nadeshiko was charging after them.

                "Hey, Nadeshiko!" JK called.

                "Yes?" she asked as she flipped another gazelle over onto the ground and rammed her foot into it, causing it to explode.

                There was always something scary about the way she enjoyed fighting so much. It was almost like the crazy guy who'd attacked JK in the alley, except she was on their side. JK tossed over the deck, crying, "One more thing for you to blow up!"

                "Okay!" she exclaimed. "Nadeshiko Kick!"

                A glowing roundhouse kick blew up the deck, and the rest of the Monsters ran for it. As everyone else began to cheer, Nadeshiko looked oddly disappointed.

                "Too bad she wasn't here from the start of this mess," JK reasoned as he walked over to her. "Thanks!"

                "No problem!" she replied. "That's it?"

                "That's it," Gentaro answered, coming over to give her another handshake. "Thanks for the help."

                "Of course," she replied. "You're my friend."

                Gentaro grinned. "You're our friend too. Don't hesitate to call us."

                "I won't," she promised. "XV-II should be here soon. Do you need anything else?"

                She was glancing toward the pit where the Fourze Driver had been melted. It'd be easy for her to recreate it from SOLU, but JK wasn't sure that Gentaro wanted her to bring it back. But he definitely didn't expect Gentaro to say, "Actually, just something quick—we launched a probe to the sun, and there's something in it JK needs broken. Think you and XV-II can give it a little push?"

                "That'll be easy," she insisted. "No problem!"

                "Thanks," JK answered with a grin as she gave him the handshake in return. It was always good to have friends to rely on.


	12. Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JK walks Ryusei home from a night out drinking with the other Riders. Also, the bar manager hates him for some reason.

                JK ran up to the bar's door, trying to peer inside. The manager, closing for the night, glared at him as he unlocked the door. JK wasn't sure exactly why—he'd told Ryusei he'd be there as fast as possible, and that was only fifteen minutes ago.

                "JK?" Ryusei groaned.

                "Right here," he answered, ignoring the manager and hurrying over to his friend to help him off the stool. "You sound like you're hungover already."

                "That's what happens when you spend two hours with Date and Nitoh buying you drinks," he moaned. "They're asking when you're going to come."

                That was a dangerous question JK didn't want to discuss in front of anyone not in the Kamen Rider Club. And already, the manager was giving him a look. Suddenly annoyed, JK shot him a dirty look back, and the manager raised an eyebrow, apparently amused. Weird.

                "Come on," JK decided. "We're going to have to walk."

                "Sorry," Ryusei muttered as JK led him out. "Didn't know who else to call—Gentaro has school tomorrow, Yuuki and Kengo were debriefing about the return capsule's destruction, Miu and Shun are teasing the press at a date, and Tomoko had dinner with her publisher."

                JK looked at him in confusion. "Wait, you weren't invited? You're her boyfriend!"

                "I was, but she wasn't going to let me out of this."

                "Even when she knew at least fifty Riders were going to get you completely blitzed?"

                Ryusei sighed with a feeling JK knew all too well. " _Especially_ when she knew at least fifty Riders were going to get me completely blitzed. She said I deserved to celebrate my promotion from Secondary to Lead."

                "That's what they said too, didn't they?"

                "Right after Goto and Date brought out the cake."

                JK shook his head as Ryusei continued to moan, "There was so much of it...I think Kougami must have thought the other Riders would be coming too. We ended up passing it out to other customers, and Kaito gave some to the manager and told him to join the party."

                "Which Kaito—there's two of them now, remember?"

                "Diend, not Baron. Though he got a kick out of it too. Think the manager wanted to kill them. I never saw such an icy stare—not even when Nitoh started putting mayo on his cake." JK couldn't help but laugh now. "And that was when they started up the pool."

                "What pool?"

                "Terui told everyone about the problem you've been having with the decks. So they've started betting on which Rider you'll end up as."

                "You're kidding."

                Ryusei shook his head. "Nobody's allowed out of the bet. So Kagami, Hikawa, and Terui put in the 'sane bet' for Ryuki. Nago and Date both said Femme for some reason, while Goto facepalmed and put his money down for Zolda. Then Kusaka said Odin."

                "Does he know what..."

                "Yes, he knows what happens to people who use that deck. He was drunk enough to show his true colors—nobody likes him after an incident involving Inui—Faiz—and Kiba, now Orga. Kiba especially hates him and was ready to kick his ass for it."

                "What happened—is that why the manager was so pissed off?"

                "No, by that point, I had enough drinks that I—I enjoyed it a little too much—I told him that you sent the Odin deck into the sun." When JK burst out laughing, he added, "I think I'm a hero among Faiz's group."

                "So what did you bet on?"

                "Well, I didn't have a whole lot of money to throw down on there, so I went into the 'pity bet' area where Kamishiro—Sasword—was—everyone knows he's got to be careful with his money, but he likes to be included, so we set up a pity bet for Knight, and I added to it."

                "Knight?" JK repeated, laughing hysterically. "Seriously, Knight?"

                "You could pull it off," Ryusei insisted. "You move enough. He's supposed to be graceful and fast, and you know how to dance."

                JK was still laughing until he felt something under his foot. Knowing what it had to be, he knelt down, with Ryusei bracing himself on his shoulder.

                "Another deck?" Ryusei guessed.

                JK pulled out the Seal Card and handed it to him. "Guess which one."

                "Knight."

                "Yep." JK stood back up and looked at Ryusei. "Sorry, but you're going to lose that bet."

                "No problem."

                JK stomped on the deck, breaking it in half. With a glance toward Ryusei, he offered a halfhearted, "Rider Kick."

                Ryusei was drunk enough to start laughing. "You're not supposed to say it after—what kind of Rider are you?"

                "I'm not a Rider," JK protested. "Seriously, somebody needs to _get_ that." Ryusei was still snickering. "Well, guess you've got to call Kamishiro and tell him you guys lost."

                "Best bet I ever lost."

                When he finally got Ryusei home and in bed, JK returned to his own apartment building. He'd just put the key in the door when he got the feeling someone was behind him. Quickly, he whirled around into a fighting stance.

                It was only Philip, who smiled and said, "Now that you're becoming a Rider, your senses are much more acute."

                JK sighed in relief. "Now that I'm _not_ becoming a Rider, I'm jumpy and paranoid."

                Philip held up a thick notebook. "I don't know if this will help that or not—the results of my research."

                JK took the book and immediately started flipping through, all while Philip waited patiently. There were a lot of inane details—golden crayfish, childhood playmates, a gyoza recipe—but it all came down to one name, circled in red.

                When JK started swearing, Philip really couldn't hide his smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why so many dead Riders are alive here, well, blame _LGKR_ ; that's the official explanation for this fic. I hope to one day spin off this chapter into a fic about Ryusei's party, titled "Graduation Day" because Riders and alcohol don't mix.


	13. Ryuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JK and Shinji finally meet.

                Shinji's cell phone rang. Caller ID said it was Ren, and he felt his blood run cold. Ren only called him once or twice a year—they were probably the closest of all of Kanzaki's former Riders, and even then, it was awkward between them. Fearing the worst, Shinji answered immediately.

                "Hello? Ren? Are you okay?"

                _"I met him the other night."_

                A pause. "Him" could mean anybody, especially after the Rider Meta-Crisis.

                "Who?"

                "Jingu."

                Shinji relaxed and laughed. "JK?"

                _"Yeah, the Secondaries all showed up last night. Some kind of party for—Meteor, I think it was. Jingu showed up after to walk him home. He's lucky he didn't show up any earlier. They were all taking bets on which one of us he'd replace. Meteor seemed to think he'd be a good Knight."_

Shinji shook his head, smiling. "What did you think?"

                Ren knew exactly what he was asking, but as always, he avoided giving a direct answer. _"I don't know. Seemed like he'd be a  better Ryuki. Although, I'm not sure what he'd think of me comparing him to you."_

                "Oi," Shinji complained, "what's that supposed to  mean?"

                The door suddenly flew open, and JK was glaring.

                "CHIEF!"

                Shinji stared in shock for a moment before saying, "I'll call you back."

                JK gave a suspicious glance toward the phone and asked, "Was that..."

                "Another Rider," Shinji confirmed. "Knight."

                "I think I met him last night," JK said, and Shinji nodded.

                For a moment, the Editor-in-Chief's office at _Real_ was silent. Kido Shinji and Jingu Kaizo stared each other down, with the Ryuki deck on the desk between them. It was clear, now that JK's initial fury had passed, that he really hadn't planned out this confrontation. In his mind, Ryuki had been a mysterious and vaguely sinister Rider who'd been stalking and testing him. Seeing Philip's notebook with the bright red circle around the name "Editor-in-Chief Kido Shinji" and knowing his boss had been in on this the whole time? It had felt like a horrible betrayal. Ryuki had sat by, sending him off to meet with other Riders, knowing that the decks kept coming, and telling him nothing to help. He was manipulating everything behind the scenes. JK had played his game the whole time without suspecting a thing. That was the Ryuki JK had in his mind.

                In his mind, Shinji wasn't supposed to be sorry, sitting across from him, looking guilty.

                "So," JK started again. "You're Ryuki."

                "Yeah," Shinji answered. "At least as long as I hold the deck."

                It was an offer, but JK stood his ground. "Don't give me that line— _I have_ _Time Vent_." Shinji went quiet again, and the awkwardness grew. He might have had the answers, but JK had all the power. "Why me?"

                "It wasn't planned that way," Shinji promised. "But we needed to get rid of the decks. Dragblacker—Ryuga's Monster—had been looking for someone who'd either Contract with him or destroy the deck—he hasn't had a Contract holder since the Meta-Crisis, since his partner's a Mirror World being too..."

                JK held up his hands to stop him. "I don't understand anything you're saying."

                Shinji sighed. "It's complicated."

                Finally convinced that a red dragon wasn't going to burst out of the windows and eat him, JK took a seat across from the Chief. Seeing him begin to relax, Shinji continued, "Tezuka—Raia—found out about you and decided the first Rider you met should be a friendly one, so he tracked you down. He's good at that."

                "But I lost him in the crowd because I was so intent on talking to W," JK realized.

                "So that's what happened," Shinji said. "Anyway, Tezuka decided it would be better for you to try to follow your own path, and from there..."

                "Explain Ouja."

                Shinji rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry about that. Asakura's never been the sanest Rider. We knew he'd probably try something, so I asked Kitaoka and Sudo to keep an eye on you, but Asakura got there before either one of them could."

                "Zolda and Scissors," JK recited. "I think I ran into Femme after that—her Monster dropped a deck into our food right after she stole my friend's wallet."

                "She WHAT?!" Shinji cried. Then he groaned, "Miho. I'm gonna have to talk to her about that. AGAIN."

                It was almost hilarious, but JK didn't feel much like laughing. "A Monster showed up at the Takamizawa Group function, and I think Takamizawa might have known me—Verde, right?" A nod. "Then I think I met Tiger in a supermarket and Gai just outside my old high school. And while I know there were Riders around during my day off, none of them were Imperer, and all of his Monsters attacked us, but I was working on an interview with Sano Mitsuru before that."

                "I'm sorry about that," Shinji apologized again. "But without Contracts, it's hard to control the Monsters."

                "Is that why Ouja, Zolda, and Knight didn't have their Monsters around?"

                "Kind of," Shinji said. "The four of us were pretty much the main Riders. We made it all the way to the end."

                "And Odin," JK guessed. Shinji nodded. "I had to send that one into the _sun,_ Chief."

                "That would've made things easier for Ren," Shinji admitted. "But yeah, we never figured out who was Contracted to that deck. It doesn't matter anyway, since it..."

                "Brainwashes anyone who uses it," JK finished. "W gave me the rundown. And OOO tells me you guys don't exist."

                "Kind of," Shinji admitted. "It all has to do with the Rider War."

                Suddenly, JK's expression went grim. "Nothing like Decade's or Gaim's, I'm guessing."

                For a moment, it was just like Shinji was back in Atori, arguing with Ren over the Rider War; only this time, he was the one trying to justify it. He suddenly understood what Ren meant when he'd said JK would be a good Ryuki.

                Finally, he took a breath and said, "When I was your age and still working at my old paper, I talked to my Editor-in-Chief about it. And he told me that it all came down to what you believe."

                JK looked at him with even more confusion than he'd had fifteen years ago. "What do you mean?"

                "Think of the people you care about. Imagine something awful happening to them." There was pain on JK's face that Shinji didn't even want to know about. "Now, imagine that the only way you could undo that was to fight another person and kill them."

                JK had his eyes closed as he nodded. "That happened, once. Not with me, but with my friends—Meteor and Fourze."

                "It happened to my friends too," Shinji explained. "Like Knight, whose girlfriend was dying. Femme's sister had been killed. Raia wanted to honor his friend's death. Zolda wanted to save his own life."

                "And Odin?" JK asked. "What was so important that he had to have a time-travel card?"

                "That involved another of my friends," Shinji admitted, the pain as raw as if it had been yesterday. "Kanzaki Yui. Her brother set up the Rider War in order to save her life. Otherwise, she would die on her birthday."

                "It didn't work." It wasn't a question—JK was too good a journalist to miss the obvious.

                Shinji shook his head. "She chose to die so the rest of us could live. Even when it came down to Ren, and he made his wish, she turned back time to stop us from ever having to become Riders."

                JK nodded. This all fit with what Owner had told him. "And then, when the Rider Meta-Crisis happened, someone still remembered you guys."

                "Yeah," Shinji answered. "A few of us were really mad about it, like Ren. He was finally happy, and he didn't want to ruin it with fighting. But he still did, as long as all the Riders needed us."

                "I guess, all this time, I've kept asking why nobody understood why I didn't want to be a Rider," JK mused. "I didn't think that maybe you guys understood perfectly."

                "We weren't trying to make you a Rider unless you wanted it," Shinji promised. "But we needed to destroy the decks. If we could, then the last one left could make a wish to close off the Mirror World again, this time forever. And we knew we were too tempted to become Riders again."

                "Is that why you still keep fighting? Because once you're a Rider, you never stop being one?"

                There was an almost sheepish smile on Shinji's face. "I guess so. Just like we used to say: If you don't fight, you won't survive."

                There was a tense silence. Then JK said, "That's stupid."

                Shinji couldn't help but burst into laughter. "That's the most direct way anyone's ever put it."

                "Sorry, but it is." JK pulled out his Seal Card. "For almost every deck I destroyed, I saved one of these. Every single one of my friends have one. Sure, they can't sense the Monsters, but they can at least defend themselves. And that's not all—they all helped me out. Whether they looked out for me or destroyed decks or even helped me fight off a stampede of gazelles, they didn't leave me alone during this."

                Mystified, Shinji asked, "Were they Riders?"

                "Only a few of them! W looked up information for me. OOO and Den-O helped me find out about the Meta-Crisis. Meteor couldn't be here for most of it because of another mission, but he and Nadeshiko joined in. Even Gentaro fought right after he'd destroyed the Fourze Driver! That's what makes us the Kamen Rider Club—we might not be Riders, but we'll protect people just like you guys did."

                Shinji smiled sadly. "We weren't all heroes, you know."

                "We know," JK answered. "But you all had a reason to fight, and we can all respect that, even if we don't agree with it. But what I don't understand is why it ever had to come to a fight in the first place."

                "Eh?"

                "It's something Gen told Ryusei after they fought. He was glad to finally help him. It didn't matter that Ryusei was killing him—Gentaro finally knew what was wrong and how he could help. And afterwards, we all made sure we could help Ryusei out. And he returned the favor over and over. Nadeshiko came back from deep space to help save Yuuki because she was one of her friends. W, OOO, Den-O—they all agreed to help me out because they're Gen's friends. Riders or not, we stick together."

                As Shinji was just beginning to realize JK was using Fourze and Meteor's real names in front of him, he continued, "Part of what hurt Ryusei the most was that he realized if he'd just been honest with us from the start, he wouldn't have gotten into that situation. We would have done everything possible to save his friend. Why not with you guys? Why didn't you guys just _talk_ about it—you're all determined enough that you would have found a solution to help everyone. Even if it meant ganging up on Odin and stealing Time Vent. And if you'd all just do that from the start, I wouldn't have to barge in here and ask what's going on. If you'd told me, I'd have helped! We all would have! You should've seen how happy Gen and Nadeshiko were to blow something up!" He threw his hands up. "I had Kengo and Nadeshiko help me throw Odin's deck into the _sun_! What part of that says we wouldn't help?"

                Months of catharsis finally wore JK out, and he just stared at Shinji blankly. Finally, Shinji answered, "You're right. We really should have gone to you first. I guess we were just so used to doing things our own way."

                "That's another thing I don't get," JK admitted. "Sure, I know not all Riders get along—I just heard some horror stories from Ryusei's night out with the Secondaries. But when push comes to shove, you guys work together like an unstoppable force. But still, even when some of you like each other, and when you clearly know how to contact each other, you don't. I'm sure you recognize Gen from him dropping by a few times. You probably didn't know who he was, but you recognized him. Same goes for most of the Club. Why didn't I recognize your old friends? Not even from pictures? Why did you have to wait a day later for a call from Knight to tell you we'd met?"

                Shinji was silent. JK got up, picked up his Seal Card, and turned away from the Ryuki deck.

                "I'm not going to take it. But I'm not going to destroy it either. Not yet. Not until I know whether or not the world still needs Ryuki. I know it still need Riders." He looked over his shoulder. "But if you guys can't be there, then I promise the Kamen Rider Club will be. Our friendship's strong enough to overcome the distance of space. I'm sure it'd even overcome time."

                He left, closing the door behind him. And for a moment, Shinji saw the other four Monsters following after him—Venosnaker, Magnugiga, Darkwing, Dragredder. He knew JK heard them and knew they were there too. But he wouldn't be afraid of them ever again. He was stronger than they were.

                Than the Riders were.

                Shinji picked up his phone and dialed Ren back.

                "Hey, Ren. You free this weekend? I think we should hang out. Like the old days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the big reveal is revealed, I can explain where it came from: When I first watched _Ultimatum_ , I wondered how JK's boss would so readily let him go off at a moment's notice and/or help him encrypt Rider information. And I realized the only person who would so easily understand would be Shinji. From there, the title came to mind, and I had to write a story to go along with it. What started as a crackfic eventually turned heartwarming at the end, with the contrast between the Kamen Rider Club of _Fourze_ and the Riders of _Ryuki_.
> 
> I hope to continue the story in "Graduation Day" and "It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time." After all, the _Ryuki_ Riders weren't the ONLY ones who were resurrected...


End file.
